When Serfs rise up
There is another secessionist movement in Canada. This time it is the province of Alberta. Alberta has a law that states if a petition receives 177,732 signatures, then the provincial legislature is obligated to act upon it. Currently there is petition gathering signatures demanding that the province hold a vote on separating from Canada.
As I mentioned, this is not unprecedented. The province of Quebec has already held 2 referendums on separation from Canada. Both time Quebec chose to stay because financially Canada is a very good deal for Quebec. After the first failed referendum the question of whether a province had the right to leave Canada made its way to the supreme court. The court ruled that yes provinces have the right to leave and even spelled out the conditions that must be met. That decision resulted in Parliament passing the clarity act.
During both Quebec referendums there was an outpouring of love for Quebec. Canadians begged Quebec to stay. The reaction is very different with respect to a possible referendum in Alberta. No one is pleading with Alberta to stay. Instead, public and politicians are telling Albertans that it is illegal for Alberta to leave, and they are demanding that the movement leaders be arrested for treason.
If it weren’t for double stands Canadians would have no standards at all. How can it be legal for Quebec to leave but not legal for Alberta to leave? The answer is that Alberta is not Quebec. Canada is not a good deal for Alberta. No politician believed the threat of Quebec separating was real. But the threat of Alberta separation is very real. Alberta would be better off without Canada and many Albertans know that.
Suddenly Canada’s borders matter. But not the way you think. Like all countries Canada’s borders have not been static. They have changed multiple times. The vitriol spewed against Alberta separatists is not about Canada’s current borders it is about Canada’s original borders. Canada was granted independence from Great Britain in 1867. The diagram below shows Canada’s borders at the time of independence.
The political elite in Canada since 1867 are almost exclusively liberal and from within the original borders of Canada. They have never believed that the parts of Canada outside of these borders are their equals. The ruling elite in Canada have always had disdain for the rest of Canada and have never been shy about showing it. The Canadian flag is a great example of that.
The now iconic Maple leaf flag was adopted in 1965. The symbolism of the flag was very deliberate. Choosing red for the flag was not an accident. The flag was designed by the liberal party of Canada who formed the government in 1965 and who have formed most of the governments in Canada’s history. Red is the color of the liberal party in Canada. A red Canadian flag was a declaration of dominance by the liberal party, but the symbolism does not stop there. Have you ever wondered why the maple leaf became the symbol of Canada? Again, this was not an accident. Below is a map of where maple trees grow.
Notice that the iconic symbol of Canada is a tree that does not grow outside of the original borders of Canada. The Canadian flag is the ultimate FU from the ruling elite to the rest of Canada. If you are not liberal and exist out of the original borders you don’t matter. You are a second-class citizen, and your province is a possession of Canada.
That flag, of course, was changed under Liberal Prime Minister Lester Pearson in 1965. “The Christian symbolism of the Union Jack has been replaced by the pantheistic symbolism of the sugar maple, a tree that does not grow in the West.”
Albertans who support independence are often those who remember and deeply love the Canada that existed before the Liberals wrecked it.
Are you loyal to Canada? — I have to ask: To which Canada? The one we used to know? Or the one which Mr. Trudeau is forcing upon us? I certainly felt part of the first, but that country doesn’t seem to be there anymore. About the second, I have grave doubts.”
Canada likes to present the image of one big friendly united country. It is a lie. The ruling elite believe people outside the original borders are just serfs serving old Canada. That is why they are so angry that Albertans would dare to believe they had equal rights within Canada. Serfs should know their place.
